Welcome, Stranger
by The Grey Piper
Summary: An Earth ship lands on the planet where the Robinson Expedition has crashed, with a solo pilot aboard. They hope he may take the children back to Earth and get a rescue mission out for the rest. He is strangely unwilling to go back to Earth, and first tells John Robinson a startling story why, but then tells Will & Penny an even stranger story!


LOST IN SPACE ADVENTURES

Vol.1

_Foreword_

Lost In Space_, after all these years, remains a remarkably engaging and endearing show. Many of the episodes draw on themes from classical literature and folklore, and many address issues and themes far more sophisticated than it is sometimes given credit for. _

_ Additionally, _Lost In Space _had a remarkably talented cast of stars, with significant previous fame and stardom under their belts. Guy Williams had achieved fame as Zorro, June Lockhart was already known as the archetypal mother from _Lassie, _Mark Goddard had two successful series in his resume, Angela Cartwright had spent years on _Make Room For Daddy_ with Danny Thomas, Jonathan Harris had been in a number of shows, a character actor doing both drama and comedy – an accomplishment in itself – etc. etc._

_ The writers and producers likewise had any number of credits to them, both in television and movies. And Irwin Allen himself was already known as the light behind _Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea.

_The ingredients were there for a stunning, landmark TV series. That is what _Lost In Space_ became . . . but perhaps not in the way everyone hoped. Some episodes became virtually notorious._

_I felt the need to offer a few words by way of explanation and apology for this _Lost In Space Adventure_. I know that many of us view Season One episodes as near-sacred, and here I am tampering with not only a S1 episode, but the very first one of the regular series!_

_ I'll not make excuse or apology for the others, as I have done so elsewhere, and I think most would agree that those did need a little something more than they ended up with. But _Welcome, Stranger_? I agree it is a good solid episode, by and large, and doesn't really need revisiting. Perhaps that is why this is probably the most radical departure from the original I've done yet, and tends a bit to the fantasy end of the spectrum (though not as much as some actual episodes.) The one thing that bothered me about the episode was simply that Hapgood's excuses for not going back to Earth never really rang true. Not even close enough to radio on a message? It crossed my mind that maybe he had more reason for not getting near Earth than he ever let on in the episode . . . then it crossed my mind that maybe there was even more . . ._

_ I also wanted to clean up a bit of the science and some of the plausibility, and tie up a few events a bit tighter. I think we're fairly confident today that "landing on Saturn" is no more likely than landing on a cloud. Likewise, the always debatable question of how far everyone has traveled – and how! Along the way – to my surprise – this ended up very much a "Will" story. _

_ With no further ado, then . . ._

Welcome, Stranger

A Lost In Space Adventure

"Any success, Don?"

"Not a bit."

Two men stared into an unfamiliar night sky. A powerful telescope stood nearby, gazing upwards, and a computer terminal sat on a small worktable.

Don explained, or apologized. "There's a red giant up there," pointing low on the horizon, "that I thought might be Betelgeuse or Antares. But the stars appearing nearby just don't match up with the 3-D star charts. Not from any angle."

"Don" was Major Donald West, U.S. Aerospace Force, and pilot of the crippled space ship behind the two.

The other man, Professor John Robinson, ran his fingers through his hair in frustration and sighed. "So we're still lost."

"Afraid so. I think our best option is to keep trying to get a match for that one red star, though. It's pretty distinctive, and the 3-D models are programmed with every star in our hemisphere of the Milky Way."

"Can we even be sure we're within that area?"

Now Don sighed in frustration. "After a hyperdrive cascade overload like we had, I wouldn't even swear we're in our own galaxy. But we have to start with something. For now, I'm just going to start running the models for every red giant in the almanac, moving outward from home."

"That could take –"

"I know. It's taken three days just to tell me that's not Antares or Betelgeuse. And there are almost two hundred red giants just within a hundred light years of Earth." Don gestured toward the telescope. "Meanwhile, I'm plotting in as many more stars as I can. The bigger the sample, the better the chance the computer will be able to finally place a pattern and start identifying some of them. Maybe even which one we're orbiting and exactly where we are."

Robinson looked up at the sky. "Hopefully we'll have fuel enough by then for liftoff and passage to Alpha Centauri." He didn't mention the numerous repairs required in the wake of their spaceship's misadventures, which had included bombardment in a meteor field followed by a crash landing.

"Speaking of which, John . . ?"

"The Robot has been out surveying to the southeast. He came back with three sites that warrant investigation. We'll go look at them in the morning."

Along with discovering their location in space, refining fuel was their most urgent task, pulling the rare and precious deutronium isotope almost molecule by molecule from the ground. Among other damage, the meteor barrage had shorted out the ship's engineering circuits, causing the hyperdrive cascade overload which had not only left them on this unknown world, but burned through a fuel supply which should have lasted them for more than 10 years.

Robinson glanced at his watch. "It's past midnight, Don. Pack it in for the night, we'll need to be up early. You won't accomplish anything more now."

"Yeah, you're right." He sighed again. "Everyone else already asleep?" he asked casually.

John smiled slightly to himself. "I think Judy's still up."

Judy was his older daughter, just a few years younger than Don. His two younger children, Will and Penny, were already asleep. His wife, Maureen, was in bed. Together, they had planned to colonize the fourth planet orbiting Alpha Centauri.

"I suppose it will take you a few minutes to shut down and secure all the equipment. I'll ask Judy to bring you out a glass of iced tea."

"Thanks," grinned Don. "Warm night, isn't it?"

"Warm enough," replied John, returning the grin and slapping his friend on the back.

Don's eyes suddenly narrowed and directed their piercing gaze beyond Robinson's shoulder. "Look at that," he directed.

"A ship!" exclaimed John Robinson. "And it looks like it's landing not too far from here."

"Don't get too excited just yet. It may be a rescue mission looking for us, it may be another shipwreck, it may even be aliens who don't care about us at all."

"Well . . . I don't like the idea of trying to locate him in the dark. Or them. Or . . . whatever they might be. Let's set the force field, put the Robot on guard duty, and track him down in daylight."

The Robot, which they called by no name other than "Robot," was an ungainly looking automaton, which rolled about on treads and bore a large flat glass dome for a head. It was equipped with a deadly plasma-bolt defensive system. As it roamed the perimeter just inside the force field, the ship and her crew were probably as safe as they could ever be, all things considered.

John gave the pilot a friendly wink. "I'll see about that iced tea for you now."

Morning broke hotly, as it had every day for the previous few months.

"John, I've got the location of that ship we saw last night. Radar tracked it perfectly and recorded it."

"Good. At least we know that still works properly. All right. I'll take Will and the Robot and go find our visitor. You stay here to guard the ship, just in case. While you're here, take Smith and load up the Chariot with the prospecting and mining gear. With any luck we'll get to that after lunch." John laughed. "Or with some real luck we'll be leaving here by then!"

"Smith? Really? It'll be quicker to do it myself. John, that guy is more useless than –"

"Save it, Don. I know what you're going to say. But he isn't going to get any better by us ignoring him. Consider it part of your job – getting Smith up to where he understands that our mission and survival depend on him becoming a useful and productive member of this crew."

"Tall order, John."

Smith, or most properly, Lt. Col. Dr. Zachary Smith, was an enigma, and his presence on board the _Jupiter 2_ something of a mystery. An Aerospace Force officer and medical doctor, he had been the mission's flight surgeon, and had personally given West and the Robinsons their final pre-flight medical exams.

Smith had also been responsible in some part for the so-called "freezing tubes" which should have held the others in suspended animation for the duration of their voyage. Only towards the end of their passage should they have opened and allowed the people inside to awaken. First, Major West. As the voyage ended, he would have verified that they were at their proper destination, the Alpha Centauri system, and placed the ship in orbit around the fourth planet. Then the Robinsons would be awoken, and John, as mission commander, would make sure the world below was suited for human habitation and select a landing spot.

What had actually happened was still somewhat ambiguous, to West and the Robinsons at least. They had awoken from their sleep still in deep space, with the ship being ravaged by meteors. One had damaged an electrical relay panel, sparking a fire, shorting out part of the drive system – the cause of the hyperdrive cascade – and even triggering a dangerous malfunction in the Robot, resulting in him attacking various parts of the ship, acting for all the world as if he meant to wreck it.

That, at least, was the scenario they cobbled together from the evidence and Smith's own somewhat confused testimony.

He had, he claimed, come back on board just prior to launch to double check some of the atmosphere-mixing manifolds critical to the function of the freezing tubes. He said he then waited until the Robinsons were safely asleep in suspended animation to check the function of the tubes and their own body function readings.

Only then did he realize how close the ship was to liftoff. The main hatch was already sealed shut. The external power cable was disconnected, and except for a trickle going into the freezing tubes, nearly all the ship's power was being diverted into the engines for liftoff. That's why, he said, the radio couldn't even call down to Alpha Control to alert them of his presence and scrub the launch. Smith was trapped on board. When the ship's autopilot tried to avoid the meteor field, his extra, unaccounted-for mass made its responses too sluggish. He tried reviving Maj. West, but it was already too late. Result – where they were now.

A few of the regular crew secretly questioned Smith's story, and suspected more devious, even sinister reasons behind his presence, but none so far had dared to share such a terrible possibility with another.

In the meantime – Smith was a layabout and troublemaker.

Don pulled the Chariot around to the front hatch. This was a large and rather comfortable all-terrain vehicle, which could cross land or water with relative ease. Most of the mining gear was still loaded on it; a few of the more sensitive pieces had been taken inside for cleaning and inspection for damage in the lab.

"Smith!" called West, inside the ship. "Zachary Smith! Time for breakfast!"

A surly figure rode the lift up from the lower deck where the crew cabins were.

"Breakfast you say? I don't smell anything cooking."

"I meant to say, good doctor, that it will be time for breakfast by the time we're done with some work."

Smith glowered. "If that is meant to be some sort of joke, it isn't funny at all, Major."

"Just giving you the short form. Now go back below, get the pieces of the drill gear and ore sensors out of the lab, and bring them out to the Chariot. Smartly now Doctor, the sooner you're done, the sooner we both get breakfast."

"I'm a doctor, not a mineworker, Major. Such activity is below my station and my dignity. I refuse."

"Look, Smith, we're all in this together. I'm a spaceship pilot, but we all do what we have to do to get by. It's as simple as that."

"Rubbish. Consider my advanced years, Major."

Don felt his temper rising. "Advanced years? Fine. Then you'll have a breakfast of plain oatmeal, suited to your frail constitution. Sausage and omelets are obviously much too rich for you, and coffee is bad for your heart. You know that, _Doctor._ Now get outta my way." He pushed past the doctor to the lift, and came back up with the mining gear.

"I suppose I could manage just one of those probes if it would earn me a sausage, Major!"

To the east, John, 9 year old Will, and the Robot were picking their way through narrow canyons and around short buttes, looking for the visiting ship. The Robot had the co-ordinates programmed into him, but he struggled finding a way around the annoying topography. Will took upon himself the task of racing ahead to find likely pathways.

Suddenly he stopped and gazed up in astonishment. "Holy Smoke! Dad, Dad, come quick!"

John Robinson raced ahead. He too looked up at a sight he never would have expected to see, either on Earth or any planet. A tall, lanky man, evidently human, stood on a ridge wearing a silver spacesuit. Instead of a helmet, his head was topped by a cowboy hat, much battered and stained with grease and sweat. He stared down at John and Will.

"Howdy, folks," he finally said. The familiar sound of English broke a moment of tension.

John grinned broadly and said, "Welcome, stranger! Come on down and tell us how you come to be here. I'm John Robinson, this is my son Will, and this is our Robot," who had been standing close by at defensive alert.

The visitor jumped down from the ridge, landed neatly, and stuck out a hand. "Jimmy Hapgood, John, pleased to meet you. And you, Willie."

He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "My ship, _Travelin' Man,_ is just the other side there." Hapgood looked around at the bleak landscape. "Where exactly are we? I haven't seen Earth in, oh, six years gone now."

John sighed. "I'm not sure. I was hoping you could tell us. I'm afraid we're not in very good shape. We're lost and stranded without fuel."

Hapgood looked about thoughtfully. "I got plenty of fuel. I could spare you a mite of that, I suppose."

"Thanks. Do you have any repair equipment? We're also damaged, with about six months' worth of repairs to do before we can even think about going into space."

Hapgood whistled in sympathy. "Y'all have had some hard luck, haven't you?" He frowned. "What's this little one doing this far out with you?"

"We were supposed to be the first colonists on Alpha Centauri Four. Wasn't Alpha Control's big colonization project in the news last time you saw Earth?"

"I recall talk about it. Nothing was happening yet."

"Well, come on back to our ship, _Jupiter 2_. Glad to have you around for a while. How long do you think that might be? Are you still spaceworthy?"

"Oh, I'm spaceworthy alright." He looked around himself again. "How long I might be here . . . well, that depends on a few things," he replied evasively. "Gimme just a few minutes to decontaminate the hull. Hate bringin' things ashore that don't belong. C'mon, boys, let me introduce you to _Travelin' Man_."

"Can we, Dad?" asked Will excitedly.

"Sure son, come on. Robot, go on back to the ship and tell them Will and I will be back soon with company."

"Cool!" exclaimed Will, seeing _Travelin' Man._

"That's a real workhorse of a ship, isn't it?" asked John.

"The workin'est," affirmed Hapgood. "Three quarters o' that is engines. The _Man_ used to be a tugboat, we towed cargo pods home to Earth from the asteroids. That's what my job was before I, uh, had an accident or two and ended up lost out here."

"Looks like she's got decent cabin space."

"Well, not that much. She's designed so I could shuffle folks rotating on their duty shift or if they were injured. She's tight, but tolerable for the week or so it took to make the Earth/Belt run."

"I see." John Robinson gazed at the ship thoughtfully for a moment. "How did you happen to land so close to us? Did you pick up our distress beacon? Or spot us visually?"

"Oh, old _Travelin' Man_ has a nose like a hound dog for finding folks," Hapgood replied airily. "Like a big ol' flyin' dowsing rod."

John laughed. "If you say so, Jimmy!" He turned to his son. "Come on, Will, let's get back and let Mr. Hapgood do what he needs to do."

"Please, Dad, can I stay and help? If it's OK with Mr. Hapgood?"

Hapgood grinned and nodded at John.

"Sure, son. Just don't get in his way."

"So what are you doing, Mr. Hapgood?" Will asked, as the spaceman took a canister and began spraying the hull with a dense grey fog.

"More habit than anything. Everytime I come back to Earth from the Belt, I'd have to decontaminate like this to make sure no weird space germs or anything got loose on Earth. Government regulations then, but I keep doin' it, mostly because of what happened the one time I forgot."

"What was that?"

"Ended up with some little critters that oughtn't been no bigger than fleas, grown up big as mice runnin' around the hull and tryin' to eat their way inside."

"No way!"

"Looky there at the scratches all over the hull, you can see where they were chewin'."

Will looked up at his host doubtfully. "Looks like regular micrometeor scratches to me."

Jimmy cocked an eyebrow at the boy and held out his hand. "Think that's what these are too?" An inch-long furrow was scarred into the back of his hand, and another on the inside forearm.

Will's mouth hung open in astonishment. "How'd you get rid of them?"

"They were too big or too different for this stuff to bother them –" indicating the fumigation canister, "– so I had to do it the old-fashioned way, with a hammer. Tough little boogers, they were."

Fascination and horror mixed to wash over the boy's face. "Did you keep any of the bodies as specimens?"

Jimmy laughed. "Heck no. I'm just a rocket jockey, all I cared about was gettin' rid of them things and keepin' me and _Travelin' Man_ safe. 'Sides, they was all pretty well smashed by the time I was done with 'em."

Will continued to watch attentively, then asked, "Can I help spray a little? Please, Mr. Hapgood?"

"Why, sure. Just don't miss any spots."

Carefully, the boy aimed the smoky jet up and down the sides of the hull.

"Where are you from, Mr. Hapgood? Texas?"

"Aw, heck no! Can't abide Texans. What d'you think, Texas is the only place in the Universe that grows cowboys? I'm from Oklahoma, little place called Sallisaw. And yes, I am a real cowboy, I didn't just buy a fancy hat at a cheap store."

"A real cowboy?"

"Well, I was. Back when I –"

"Will! Will!" A bright, cheery voice called over the sand. "Oh, there you are! You must be Mr. Hapgood." A young girl of about 12 years stood, hands on hips, looking disdainfully at the scene.

"Mr. Hapgood, this is my sister Penny. I guess Dad told her you were here."

"Howdy, Miss Penny," said Jimmy, raising his hat to her.

"What are you here for, Penny?" asked Will, rather rudely.

"Mother sent me to tell you that lunch will be ready by the time you get back to the ship."

"In a minute, Penny. Mr. Hapgood's telling me about being a real cowboy, and I'm decontaminating his ship."

This piqued Penny's interest. "A real cowboy?" she echoed.

"Yes'm. More of a summer job. When I'd be home from college, I'd help out on my daddy's ranch."

"You went to college?" asked Penny, a bit skeptically.

"Well o'course. You don't just go down to Alpha Control and tell 'em to give you a spaceship pilot's license. I studied astrophysics and aerospace architecture at Oke Tech, one of the best space schools in the United States, right after MIT and Stanford."

"Oh. Well, I suppose they must have some standards, after all. Did you like being a cowboy?"

"Mmm-hmm. For the most part. Sometimes a body gets awful tired of the smell of cattle all the time, but it was good enough bein' out there saddled up and horseback. No settin' for hours in traffic just tryin' to get to a miserable little office that spends each day tryin' to choke the life out of you."

"Must have been a lot different going into space," Penny observed.

Jimmy smiled. "Not as much as you might think, honey. So what's for lunch?"

"Spaghetti and meatballs with real meatballs, not synthetic."

"Well, that sounds mighty fine. Willie an' I will be along as soon as he's done."

"Oh, that's alright, Mr. Hapgood, you go along with Penny and I'll finish this up for you."

"Well, thank you kindly, Willie. Miss Penny, do lead on, please." The two disappeared down the trail.

Will, assiduously fogging the ship, suddenly snapped his head up. "Hey, she said real meatballs!"

He gave the hull one final blast of the decontaminant and raced home to the _Jupiter 2._

After lunch at the outside picnic table, Jimmy Hapgood excused himself and went to stretch out in the sun on a large flat rock. "I do thank you kindly for the wonderful meal, but beggin' your pardons, I've actually been up almost 24 hours straight now, since comin' in to this system and landing and all. And right over there looks as good a spot as any, and a sight better than some places I had to sleep on Earth."

West and the Robinsons laughed and excused him as they began returning to their usual chores. John pulled his wife aside and sat with her at the galley table on the lower deck of their ship.

He reached over and took her hands in his. "Maureen, I've been doing some very serious thinking these last few hours. Mr. Hapgood has a sound ship out there, with room for passengers. I know this is something we gave a lot of thoughtful consideration to before we left Earth, but things have changed. I think we should ask him if he can possibly – take Will and Penny back to Earth with him. They just don't belong here now."

"Oh, John . . ."

"It's not fair to them. This just isn't what we bargained for, and as dangerous as this mission was to begin with, it's even more so now. We have to consider the worst-case scenario, darling. We may never get off this planet, and this is a very dangerous planet. We barely survived one summer and winter, what if they're worse next time? I don't want to risk their lives if there's any way to avoid that.

"Besides, if Hapgood can get them home, that will also mean Alpha Control can launch a rescue mission for us. We'll all be together again, and we'll be able to start our mission all over, fresh. If you still want to, that is."

"John . . . you have to let _me_ think about it too. You're asking me to say goodbye to my babies and send them off with a stranger. And maybe never see them again . . ." Maureen dabbed at an eye. "I know, my head says that would probably be for the best, but . . . How do we know he can even get back? You told me yourself he's just as lost as we are."

"I'm not sure about that, honestly. I'm not entirely certain myself that it's the right thing to do. I just wanted to know I had your permission before even asking him about it. Then we can make a decision."

Maureen hung her head and sniffed. "Go ahead. See what he says." She smiled weakly at her husband.

"Thank you, darling." John picked up his wife's hand and kissed her fingers. "I'll talk to him in a little while. After he's done with his nap," he grinned.

Around the corner, in the laboratory, Dr. Smith listened intently and scowled darkly. "If anyone goes back to Earth, it should be me," he thought, "Not those brats. They volunteered for this, I never did." Smith began making his own plans.

"Jimmy," called John, a while later. "Feeling better?"

"Oh, you bet, John. Something about sleeping outside under an open sky really does it for me. Doesn't even matter what sky," he grinned.

"I was curious about something. You seemed a little unsure how long you might be here. Are you having some kind of mechanical problems? We may be able to help."

Again, Hapgood looked a little uncomfortable. "Well, some of my astrogational equipment got burned out a while ago, but nothing that'd actually keep me on the ground. Might have a hard time getting somewhere in particular, but I haven't been worrying about that for a little while."

"I see. We were hoping that you'd be able to get within hailing range of Earth at least and let them know the _Jupiter 2_ mission is alive and well but stuck, and that they need to send a rescue mission to get us on our way again."

Jimmy Hapgood looked around at the sky and ground. "Well as I say, sir, I'm not sure where I am either, nor how far or which way to Earth."

"If you like, we may able to repair your gear, or even replace it. Ours works fine, we just can't go anywhere. You can go anywhere, but just don't know which way to go. It sounds like we were made for each other." John forced an amiable chuckle.

"If you'd like to look at my gear and see if you can do anything for it, you're more than welcome."

"Maureen and I also thought . . ." Here, John put a hand on Hapgood's shoulder and looked him in the eye. "We also wondered if it might be possible for you to take Will and Penny back to Earth with you."

Hapgood closed his eyes and sighed. "I had a suspicion that's where this was goin'. Mr. – Professor Robinson, it's six years since I last seen Earth, and I've been in no hurry tryin' to."

He sighed again, and chewed his lip. "Occur to you there might be a reason for that?"

"Woman problems? Ex-wife chasing you? Gambling debts and someone who wants to break your legs?"

Hapgood chuckled. "Bless you, sir." He looked around. "C'mere, John, let's step away from the ship so we can talk man-to-man." The two walked over towards the flat rock Hapgood had napped on.

Jimmy Hapgood sat cross-legged across from John Robinson, and wrestled with his thoughts for a moment. Finally, he looked Robinson square in the eye.

"I'm wanted on Earth for diamond smuggling."

Robinson's jaw dropped in astonishment, and Hapgood held up a hand.

"Let me explain, sir. I said I was wanted for it. I didn't say I ever did it, and I do not believe I ever did. I admit I brought some things back from the asteroids that never appeared on my cargo manifests and that the company never knew about. I admit I worked a little in the shade, but I do not believe I did anything wrong."

"Well?" asked John. "What happened? I'm ready to hear what you have to say for yourself."

"Well, sir, like I say, I was under contract by that company to haul cargo pods full of ore from the asteroid belt back to Earth. Rare-earth elements mostly, some radioactives. Some precious metals – gold, platinum. The mineworkers on the asteroids were also contractors, not employees. I looked over my contract and theirs, top to bottom, and it spelled out every single dang metal and ore you might imagine, and a few other things, that it was their job to dig out, and mine to take back. Nobody ever thought they'd find diamonds out in the Belt, and they were absolutely not mentioned. And no, those contracts did not have some weasel words buried in there saying that anything and everything else dug up or discovered belonged to the company. There was just no way diamonds were in there, so we figured any those poor boys could scratch out were a bonus for 'em."

"So why –?"

"Because we all knew that as soon as the company found out, we'd all get new contracts, and no work or pay until we signed 'em. So they dug 'em up, I brought 'em back, their man on the ground paid me, and I brought 'em their cash back.

"Well, yes, it was too good to last, and last I heard I was a wanted man. Maybe not smuggling, since just bringing the rocks back to Earth wasn't illegal and I wasn't dodging any customs duties or taxes, but the company sure as heck had it in their head that all those diamonds had been stolen from them, never mind that – well, I explained all that already.

"They got our buyer to squeal, and asteroid miners are too scarce to waste, but us rocket jockeys are a dime a dozen. So I'm the one they're wanting to put in jail. And there we are. Hope you're not too disappointed in me, sir."

John frowned thoughtfully. "I don't think I am at all. You believed you were doing the right thing, and you do make a good case for it. I'm not sure I would have thought the same way, but I don't think I can fault your reasoning or intentions."

"Thank you, sir. I've always considered myself an honest man, and trustworthy."

Robinson frowned again. "Do you still think they'd be after you, after all these years?"

"Even if they weren't, my pilot's license expired two years ago and Alpha Control isn't likely to issue me a renewal with an episode like that on my record. The facts are undisputed. Not to mention being six years overdue on _Travelin' Man's _mortgage payments. No sir, if I ever land on Earth again, I'll never leave."

"I didn't realize how much I was asking of you. Tell you what – let's go look at your ship. Maybe we can do something for you anyway, no strings attached. Maybe you could at least get close enough to pass on a Mayday message from us. Truthfully, Maureen and I aren't entirely sure what to do, anyway. But let's take this all one step at a time, what do you say?" John stuck out his hand.

Jimmy did likewise and the men clasped hands. "John, I just hope the good Lord gives me the courage to do whatever's right, that's all I'll say right now."

John smiled warmly. "That's all I could ask of any man."

The two walked back toward the _Jupiter 2_. "Let me get the children," said John. "We won't say anything yet, but I'd like them to see your ship some more, look around inside. Get them a little comfortable with it."

"I understand, sir," Jimmy nodded.

The four approached _Travelin' Man'_s landing site.

"That's an awfully strange looking ship, Mr. Hapgood," observed Penny.

"Oh, she might look funny to your eyes, but she's built near-perfect for what her job was, and that's about the most beautiful thing I can think of. Remember, I studied spaceship design in college, so I look at her a lot different than you do."

"Well, that's not how I'd build it. I'd –" Penny held up her hands and traced a design in the air. "Why don't the secondary thrusters sit closer to the edge of the skirting?" she asked. "Don't you lose power with them that far inboard? And even if you don't need streamlining in space, a shape more like _this –"_ tracing in the air again "– would make for a lot smoother ride in atmosphere and conserve fuel. And you wouldn't lose cargo capacity if you just increased the hull diameter down there–" She broke off as she felt the two men staring at her.

Jimmy wiped his forehead and looked at John with something like fear in his eyes. "She's right, you know, straight up and down. The model they built after this did all those things, just like she said."

"I guess my daughter has a good future as a spaceship designer," John joked nervously. "I suppose she's been studying some of the technical books on our ship in her spare time."

"I suppose," agreed Hapgood, as Penny approached _Travelin' Man_ with curiosity. "Say, you got some quick-growin' plants around here, dontcha?"

John and Will both looked at the ground and frowned, looking at a network of vines in the sand.

"I've never –" began Will.

"Penny, get back here quick! Get away from that ship!" shouted John Robinson.

The girl took one uncertain step, and a vine whipped out of the sand, curling around her leg. Penny screamed in terror as the vine pulled her off her feet and began dragging her over the sand.

"I thought you deconned my ship!" Hapgood shouted angrily at Will, as the boy ran to Penny. John was close behind, drawing his laser pistol.

Will grabbed Penny's arm, futilely trying to haul back against the monstrous vine.

Hapgood scrambled up into the ship and jumped down seconds later with a fire-axe. He began hacking at the plant, while John scorched it with laser blasts.

Penny screamed again as a huge maw, like a giant Venus fly trap, opened up from the ground a scant five feet away. The vine heaved Penny another few feet toward the mouth.

"Daddy! Please!"

John turned the laser on the flytrap-maw, giving it a steady burn of his laser's fury. He gritted his teeth as the grip grew hot in his hand.

Hapgood gave the vine one more savage chop with the axe. The entire plant convulsed and the vine dropped limply away from Penny. She raced to her father.

"Oh, Daddy . . ." she sobbed.

"Mr. Hapgood, sir," said Will, "I thought I got your hull just fine. I'm awful sorry, I must have missed a spot somewhere." He looked over at his sister. "I'm really sorry, Penny. I guess that was all my fault."

"It's all right, son. I'm sorry I hollered at you," said Jimmy, patting him on the shoulder. "It's my fault for not seeing to it properly myself."

John Robinson and Jimmy Hapgood looked at each other steadily. Jimmy closed his eyes slowly, and began nodding.

"This is our astrogation unit," said John, indicating the large device which formed what was essentially the centerpiece of the _Jupiter 2_'s flight deck. "Is there room enough for it in your ship? Don can strip out the core of it and wire it into your controls."

Hapgood studied it. "Make it awful cramped," he mused. "But it's possible. Just barely. What's it power load?"

"700 watts."

He whistled. "I dunno. My electrical system isn't built for that. I think I'd be blowing breakers all the time. 'Course I wouldn't need it for landings, when steady power is most critical. I suppose I could run it intermittent, only when I really needed it."

"Never fear, gentlemen, never fear." Dr. Smith had appeared, riding up the lift from the lower deck. "I have a perfect solution to all your woes. Come!" he commanded, and the Robot rolled dutifully out of his charging bay.

"You forget, Professor, this wonderful machine has what is virtually a duplicate of this ungainly device tucked away in his innards. A duplicate of a much smaller size, and which operates at a fraction of the power. It would be almost disappointingly easy to remove it from my chrome-plated companion and transfer it to our friend's ship."

Don West eyed Smith suspiciously. "What'll that do to the Robot? And what do you figure you're going to get out of this, Smith?"

"The Robot will be fine. He may have some difficulty navigating over uneven terrain afterwards, and may need to be picked back up from time to time, but nothing catastrophic. As for me . . . I simply hope to see that the best thing is done for all concerned."

"Meaning you're hoping to be the one going back to Earth."

"Indeed, Major! Spare us the insinuating invective, it is most unbefitting. I assure you, my heart will not rest easily until I know that those two dear children are safely away and bound for home."

The three other men eyed each other; even Hapgood could smell a rat. Finally John spoke.

"All right Smith. Take whatever parts you need out of the Robot and we'll set them up in _Travelin' Man."_

"And none of your games," warned West. "I don't know what you're up to, but –"

"Major, you cut me to the quick. Come below with me, my gallant organ donor, and we'll have the part out before you know it."

The Robot offered a brief retort. "May I see your license to practice mechanical medicine first?"

"Bah!" snorted Smith. "Below with you now, or I won't turn you off before operating."

Some time later, Smith returned with the part in question. He displayed it proudly. "Simple as could be. Three power leads here, positive, negative, neutral. Input and output jacks. A child could install it. Just mind the polarity of the power leads and all should be well."

Hapgood inspected it. "Looks like a standard compact unit. I've seen this kind before. Shouldn't be a problem."

"It would be wise," suggested Smith, "if all of you were to tend to it, a triple check on safety. After all, with the lives of those two dear children at stake, not to mention our friend Mr. Hapgood . . ."

"I'll go with you, Jimmy," volunteered Don. "And I'll give your ship a quick once-over. Make sure there's nothing you've missed that might need repair."

"Thank you kindly, Major. I keep the _Man_ in pretty good shape though."

"John," said West, "You're the boss, but I'd suggest you stick close. I still don't trust Smith, I've no problem saying it to his face, and I'd feel better knowing you were back here to keep an eye on him."

"Your venom drips impotently against me, Major. I shall step outside and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine of this lovely world of ours."

"I'll watch him," said John, as the other two left.

It was a relatively pleasant day, for where they were, and Smith wandered about seemingly at random. Finally he noted Penny. She was recovering from her earlier ordeal by working in their garden, tending to completely normal and non-lethal flowers. Smith sat on a rock nearby and sighed.

"Oh, hello, Dr. Smith," Penny greeted cheerfully. She smiled warmly and returned her attention to flowers.

Smith sighed again and clucked his tongue, _tsk tsk tsk._ "What a shame. I shall miss you most dreadfully," he crooned wistfully.

"What do you mean, Doctor?" Penny asked.

He put a hand to his mouth guiltily. "Oh dear. I forgot. It was to be a surprise. No matter, you'd have known by tonight anyway. I'm sure your parents wanted to break the good news to you themselves, so do try and act surprised when they tell you, won't you?"

"Dr. Smith, what ever are you talking about?"

"Really, child, haven't you figured it all out for yourself already? Why, you and Will are being sent back to Earth with Mr. Hapgood."

"What?!" Penny cried.

"Shh, shh, I told you, it's to be a surprise. Yes, indeed. Your parents think it's far too dangerous here for you, so they're going to pack you off with a stranger, instead. They hope he'll get you back to Earth, eventually, and then if Alpha Control is still in business, they may someday get a proper rescue mission out here to bring the rest of us home.

"But don't fret, child," as Smith saw Penny's face fall. "I'm sure it won't be more than a year or two, or maybe three, and you're much too big a girl now to be needing her Mummy and Daddy like that, aren't you? And remember not to fuss or carry on in front of them. I'm sure it's breaking their hearts to do this for you, so don't make it any more difficult for them than it is already. Now remember, it's supposed to be a surprise, so don't let on when they tell you. Oh, and don't tell Will either. Let it be a real surprise for him."

Smith strode off quickly, with Penny choking back dismay at her fate.

There, he thought. When Hillbilly Jim is ready to lift and those two can't be found, there will be only one sensible candidate for the mission. Smith smiled to himself smugly. Oh, Zachary, he congratulated himself, you are the clever one indeed.

"It's true, Will! It all makes sense! They're going to send us away with Mr. Hapgood back to Earth! We've got to do something. We can't go . . . this is our home now, we can't leave our family!"

Will rubbed his head in thought. "Something doesn't make sense. Wouldn't they have asked us at least? And how can they make go if we don't want to?"

"They can't make us go if they can't find us. If they try to, we'll just have to run away and hide. I know where there's a cave down by that pond that would be perfect. Nobody could ever find us there!"

"Why don't we go talk to Mr. Hapgood? I think he'd be the one who knows for sure."

The two children looked up at the evening sky.

"I'll go ask Mom if it's OK if we go sit up with him for a while. Look, he's already got a real cowboy campfire built!" Will pointed with delight at the fire and ran in to the ship. Moments later he raced out, yelling, "Come on, I bet I can beat you there!"

"Well, kids, I wouldn't be gettin' yourselves all worked up just yet. Yes, your daddy asked me about it, and I promised him I would if that's what he really wanted. But I'm not sure he does, or your mama neither. And I purely can't imagine them sending you off with me if you didn't really want to. How 'bout this – I promise you, cross my heart," which he did in immemorial style, "that I will not take either one nor both of you one inch off this planet if you don't want to. Shake on it?"

He stuck out his hand, and both children grasped it with enthusiastic smiles. "OK, we got all that settled, then." Hapgood stood, unrolled a couple of thick blankets for all to sit on, and excused himself as he took off his boots with a sigh of relief.

"Oh yeah, this is the life!" said Jimmy. His campfire was set just beyond the _Jupiter 2'_s perimeter, and he now had a pot of coffee burbling away on the embers. The sun was nearly set and the sky was growing dark; above, a flurry of nameless constellations were coming into view.

"Settin' out here under the sky, no walls to trap you, no engines to tend, nobody else you need to worry about . . . I tell ya kids, this is what it's all about, leastaways as far as I'm concerned. I know it ain't for everybody, but it's all I ever think about. Usually. I think about it up in space all the time, but I after I been on the ground for a few weeks, I start thinkin' about space again, an' ol' _Travelin' Man_ starts callin' me. 'It's that time, Jimmy,' I'll hear him at about three in the A.M. when I can't sleep. 'It's time, time to go look at some stars up close, and chase a comet or two and play tag with a supernova. Come on Jimmy, them boots is gettin' all dusty and they need a good cleanin' up in the pure vacuum of space.'

"That's when I know it's time to go. But that's all me, that's my blood. I'm a quarter Cherokee, you know, quarter or more. My mama's name before she was married was Lillian Ten-killer."

"Ten-killer!" exclaimed the children.

Penny's eyes were wide. "She didn't . . . didn't really . . ."

Jimmy laughed. "No, no. That's an old family name out that way, but you bet it once meant just what it says. You ever come out Sallisaw way you'll meet lots of folks with that name, Ten-killer, and Man-killer too.

"Most everybody out that way has some Cherokee blood in them, anybody who didn't just move there from New York City or something. You'll see black, black hair everywhere, just like yours, Miss Penny, and a far-off look in the eyes. But even folks's look just like you, Willie, with that red hair and blue eyes . . . maybe they don't even know it, but they got it all the same.

"But there'll come a time, sometime, and a man'll be outside in his back yard, or walking a hillside trail, maybe even driving through countryside that hasn't changed in hundreds of years, except for that tar road running where it used to nothing but hoofprints.

"And maybe it'll be around sunset, like right about now, and the sun will be sinking down in the west, and a big yellow full moon will be just rising in the east, and maybe a wolf'll howl, or there'll be an eagle screaming from so high in the air you can barely see him.

"And a man'll stop what he's doin', even pull his car over to the side of the road and get out, and smell the air and feel the sun and hear that wolf or eagle calling. And he'll throw his head back and just want to shout or jump or laugh or clap his hands or sing to the skies.

"That's the Cherokee blood in him doin' that. Maybe he don't even know it, but some distant grandfather who wore paint on his cheeks and feathers in his hair is cryin' out to him over the years and tellin' him, 'You are one of us still!'"

"Why does he want to shout and jump and dance and all that, Mr. Hapgood?" asked Will, entranced.

"Joy! Pure joy! Just joy for being alive and being a part of the world which made him. Because if he's part of the world, the whole world is a part of him too, and if that's true, then the world is part of the Great Spirit who made it and the Spirit is part of the world, and then so's the man, man and world and maker, all one together, forever and ever, no matter if the man dies or even if the world dies." Jimmy stopped to catch his breath. The children were staring at him, enchanted and bewildered.

"Sorry if I went over your heads a mite there, kids, but like I say, that's the blood talkin'. Well, this here coffee's done cookin', so lemme just pour myself out a splash. Oh, I beg your pardons. Neither one of you . . ?"

Will shook his head with a grin, then held back a snorting laugh as Penny said, "Yes please, just a bit. I've probably had too much already today." You've never touched it, Will thought.

Jimmy looked mildly surprised, but pulled a second tin cup out of his pack, poured, and passed.

"Hope that's not too hot for you, Miss Penny."

"No, I'm sure that's fine."

Will eyed her skeptically.

After a few minutes puffing and cooling it off, Penny took an appreciative sniff. "Smells delicious!" She took a careful sip but felt her mouth and throat sting with the unaccustomed taste. Her eyes watered, and it tasted like something burnt. Finally she choked it down.

Jimmy eyed her with concern. "Too strong for your taste, honey? I can water it a bit if you like."

After catching her breath, Penny said, "Quite all right. I'm just used to having it with cream."

Will stifled another guffaw. "So tell us more about what happened to you, Mr. Hapgood. I heard Don say you were nothing but a smuggler and we shouldn't trust you too much."

"Will!" hissed Penny. "That's not nice to say right in front of him!"

Jimmy laughed. "Now that's quite all right kids, I suppose it's true in a way, and a man oughtn't ever be afraid or ashamed of the truth, even if it is a little uncomfortable sometimes.

"Well, you know what kind of a job I had, me and _Travelin' Man_. And like I told your daddy, I helped a few of them asteroid miners get some stuff back home that some other folks maybe thought they wasn't entitled to. But near as I could see, nobody else had a better claim on them little rocks. They dug 'em up themselves, and nobody's contract said a lick about 'em.

"So here's what we did. I was the only pilot them miner's trusted, so I was the only one bringin' them diamonds back. I was only out there every four months or so, so they'd have a good collection for me to take back. One of them fellers had a cousin who was in the jewelry business, and we had a simple little code that I'd call on ahead.

Now, y'understand, them was some big diamonds, some the size of, say, grapes or walnuts. And so that was the code. I'd radio on ahead when I got close, I'd tell him the boys on the rock wanted, say, ten pounds of peas, six pounds of grapes, and three pounds of walnuts for me to take back.

"An' o' course that meant that I had three diamonds as big as walnuts, six as big as grapes, and so on, whatever made sense and didn't repeat too much. Mighta raised suspicions if the asteroid miners were always asking for more walnuts. That way he could start getting his buyers lined up by the time I grounded, he'd have the cash for me to take back to the boys, and I'd have my hands clean of the stuff right quick. And I got a nice little percentage for my trouble."

"How much?" asked Will, excitedly.

"Now, it usually ain't polite to ask another fella particulars 'bout his business affairs like that, Willie, but seein' as we're such good friends out here I won't hold it against you. My share was five percent."

"That doesn't seem like very much," remarked Penny. "For all the trouble you had to go to all the time." She eyed him skeptically.

"Well, Miss Penny, truth is it wasn't no trouble at all, really. There was hardly ever more to carry than what I could put in my pockets, and all I had to do was call on ahead to that cousin and make sure no-one from the company looked to close at what went off and on of _Travelin' Man._ The company really only cared about what was in the cargo pod, and I left that in orbit for their Skyhook to let down. The company man would check the pod after it was on the ground, make sure it tallied with my cargo manifest, and that was about it.

"Hey, I'll tell ya somethin' else. Somethin' real interesting about diamonds. You know where they come from?"

"Tiffany's!" giggled Penny.

Will shook his head. "Girls!" he said resignedly to Jimmy. "Diamonds are a special crystalline structure of pure carbon. They formed from deposits of carbon after millions of years of heat and pressure."

"And what do you need for that?"

"Oh!" Will's eyes popped. "That means the asteroid belt really is the remains of a planet that blew up or fell apart or something, right?"

"There ya go! Ain't that a kick? That's one of those things the scientists haven't ever been able to decide, if the asteroids are just random rocks that got pulled in or used to be a world. So far, you and me are the only ones who know that. Maybe your dad's figured that out already, and maybe some of those miners too. But I'd figured one day when the diamonds ran out, I'd turn that story loose and make a little money and fame off of that, enough for me, anyway."

"So what happened? How did you end up out here?" asked Will.

"That's two different questions, with two different answers. The first one is pretty simple, but I'm still not sure about the other one.

"Well, even the slickest little operation like that is gonna have holes in it somewhere. Cuttin' down to the end, our man on Earth sent a message out that the jig was up. I was gettin' ready for the trip home, but the company had got wind o' what was going on. They put the squeeze on him, and they were planning on grabbin' me and havin' me arrested next time I landed. The way they saw it, those diamonds were theirs, even if they never saw 'em, never touched 'em, never even knowed about 'em.

"And the way the law is back on Earth, they were most likely right. I prob'ly woulda been arrested, and I'd prob'ly be dyin' a slow death in a prison cell somewhere now. Even if not, I'd likely never get my pilot's license back and woulda been stuck on Earth like any other groundhog for the rest of my life, and the stars would be just a decoration in the sky instead o' someplace to live.

"Well, what do you think I was gonna do? I ditched that cargo pod, vowed never to get within hailing distance of Earth again, and lit out for an operation on Titan."

There was a moment of hesitant silence. "Saturn's moon, Penny. The big one," prompted Will.

"Oh, yes. I guess I was confusing it with Neptune for a moment."

Will shook his head again. "Finish your coffee, Penny."

Hapgood watched the exchange with a grin. "Anyhow, I set out for Titan, where there's a permanent base and a whole other company refines methane from the oceans there, and also sends out mining rigs through the rings. Most of the rings are nothing but ice and rock, but there's some rare elements in 'em, too, just like the asteroids. Maybe some of the rings are part of that same planet that blew up, who knows? So as long as there's ships and spacemen and women out there, they figure why not go get it? And that's what I doing. Like I said, I wasn't in no hurry to fly any cargo pods back to Earth, but whoo! Cruising through the rings of Saturn! No better job in the Universe! 'Bout every 12 hours an alarm would sound, and I'd be sure the scoops opened and ol' _Travelin' Man_ turned the right way, and fifteen minutes later there's a piece of Saturn's rings right in my cargo hold, think o' that!

"Well, I was doin' that for about three months. Then one day I launched off for my hitch, and the da– dangdest thing happened. They was some kinda energy surge, like a lightning bolt strikin' from Saturn out to the rings, hittin' in about six different places, thousand miles apart, I guess. I caught a little of it, 'cause my gyrocompasses all blew out. That wasn't too much of a worry, 'cause I could see Titan still, and I'd just have to drive home manually instead of puttin' the _Man_ on autopilot.

"But that's when I saw the most amazing thing in the Universe. Never even heard o' nothin' like it before, and the six years I been out here, never seen nothin' else even comes close to it."

Will and Penny both now sat with rapt attention, mouths hanging open. "What was it?" whispered Will.

"I have to disappoint you a mite there, kids, because I truthfully allow I still don't have the leastest notion what it is. Tell you what I saw, though." Hapgood took a pull at his coffee and made sure of his audience.

"Right up over the north pole of Saturn, just a-hangin' in space, maybe fifty thousand miles up of it, there was a dark shape, a shadow. Just a-hangin' in space. And –" Now he hesitated.

"That shape had the look of a huge bird! Two wings stretched out either side, head a-top and tailfeathers below. My first thought was that I was seein' the Thunderbird, the mystical bird that the Great Spirit sends as a sign. Then I thought maybe it was the spirit of my grandmother come to me for some reason, old Yellow Leaf Ten-killer, but that was impossible."

"How come?" asked Penny.

"Why, I remembered that she was still alive and livin' with a gentleman friend in Tulsa. Well, kids, I tell you, I just turned on every kind o' scanner and sensor I had and started boostin' toward that shape. It was huge! That wingspan woulda stretched from the Earth to the Moon with leftovers. It was still, so still, and I couldn't tell if it was just a flat shape like a shadow, or if it had some kinda body and substance to it. And it was so _black!_ Like . . . like it was somethin' that wasn't really there at all. And then . . . then . . ."

Hapgood hesitated again, and took a deep pull at his coffee. "_It started to move!_ May the good Lord strike me now if I tell a lie, as I got closer to it, them wings started a-flappin'! Slow at first, slow and heavy, just like you might see a fat old eagle tryin' to get into the air from a standin' start on the ground. Then a little faster, and a little faster, and sure enough the whole thing started to fly, right through space! It turned, and I could see it had body to it after all, it wasn't just a flat shadow. She started headin' out into the Deep Cold Dark, away from Saturn, away from the rest of the Solar System. I gunned my engines up to follow her and –"

Penny interrupted. "All of a sudden you're calling it 'her.' How come?" There was a tinge of challenge in her voice.

"Well, Miss Penny, because that's when I first got the notion that she was a lady and not just some shadow. Anyway, I followed her and she was flyin' faster and faster, and I was pushin' my engines just about as hard as they'd go, when all of a sudden –" Jimmy Hapgood's voice broke a bit.

"All of a sudden, it was like I was lookin' at the whole dang Universe like a map stretched out on a chart table! I can't think of it no other way. But I could still see that bird in front of me. It only lasted a second, and when it ended, there I was, out nowhere I could ever guess. But it was a system, all right. That crazy bird thing was a-hoverin' over a huge planet, and there was another man-size planet a coupla orbits in, so I set down on that to freshen up my air and water and sleep under the stars instead of in the middle of 'em. I set up my telescope and spotted the planet the bird was a-hoverin' over, but never saw _her_. Not from the ground.

"I let a week or so go by, and you know I told you how I get that stirrin' in the blood to go? Well I got that stirrin' pretty quick that time, though maybe it was more just bein' scared of bein' lost out in space somewhere and never gettin' near home again. So I lifted, and first thing I did, I headed out to see if that crazy bird-thing was still there, and sure enough she was."

He looked at the children. Their attention was all for him, although Penny still wore a slightly condescending lift to her eyebrows, as if she understood that she was being told a very elaborate and very tall tale. Hapgood's voice dropped to a whisper.

"That's when I heard _her_ for the first time. She don't talk to me in words, not words I can put into English or Cherokee or any language. But she – promised me the most wonderful things, more things than I ever could imagine. And she began flappin' them wings again, and callin' to me. 'Come on, Jimmy, come on,' that's about the most I could ever explain what she says to me, but it's so much more than that . . .

"And I followed her again, and the same thing, I flew through places or spaces no man's ever dreamed about before, and every time it's the same. She hovers over one world, and there's always a man-planet in the system too. She'll go and watch over one world, and I'll go look at another. Sometimes they're empty, sometimes there's civilizations that are older than Earth itself is, sometimes there's things look just like you and me, except twenty feet tall! Or wild creatures that breath fire and swim in ice.

"And that's what she shows me. That's what she promised me."

Even Penny was now staring with wide-eyed wonder. "What's she doing with those planets?" she whispered.

"I can't even guess. Maybe she's getting 'em ready for other kinds of people to live on some day. Some kind of people we can't even imagine."

"What's she doing with _you_?" Penny continued, hushed.

"Can't even guess. Sometimes I get the idea she's getting me ready for something, too. But for what . . . You know, I can't even count how many places she's taken me, how many different kinds of people I've met. But ya know something? This is the first time I've told this whole thing to anybody." He sat a moment and stared at the children.

"Somethin' a little scary 'bout you two. There's somethin' about the two o' you remind me of _her._" Hapgood emptied the coffee pot into his cup. "I think you two are why I'm here. I think this is _her_ doin'. Talkin' to you I get a little tickle in the blood like when _she_ talks to me." He bolted down the last bit of coffee.

"Grandmother Yellow Leaf is full-blood Cherokee, and has the Sight, you know. She can see and feel things most people have no business seein' or feelin'. And sometimes I think she give me a little bit of it, too. You, Miss Penny. Someday soon, you are gonna have some kind of a friend –" He shook his head. "I don't see it exactly, or maybe I do and I just can't understand it. You're gonna make friends with somebody like nobody no human being has ever seen before."

He laughed then. "Like I should talk! Let me introduce you to _my_ friend, the giant space eagle!"

The children laughed, and something of the spell Jimmy Hapgood had woven broke. Penny stood.

"Well, Mr. Hapgood, thank you very much, but we need to get back to the ship, it's very late. Come along, Will."

"I'll be right there," the boy replied.

"Sleep tight, Miss Penny. Hope all that coffee don't keep you awake."

Penny cast a look of daggers behind her and flounced off.

"Well, boy, what is it?" Jimmy addressed Will with no pretense.

"Sir, what do you think _she_ is? Really?"

Hapgood scratched his head thoughtfully. "Honest to goodness, boy, haven't I been telling you I just don't know?"

Will kept his all-too-adult gaze fixed on Jimmy Hapgood.

"There really is somethin' . . ." he sighed. "All right, Willie. Man to man. I honest don't know. But the only other thing that's ever crossed my mind that made any sense at all is just one little squib. 'The Bird of Time.' "

"The Bird of Time?"

"It's from an old, old, poem by an old, old-time Persian named Khayyam. He wrote, 'The Bird of Time has but a little way to fly, And Lo! The Bird is on the wing.' It's a long poem, and all about – well, most of it isn't fit for youngsters. Most people figure that bit is just a pretty way to talk about how time passes and how we all grow too old too soon.

"But out _there_, with_ her . . . _I can't even guess how far _Travelin' Man_ and me have come, following her, but it's never more than a little way to fly – the way _she_ flies. So whatever a Bird of Time might be – maybe _she_ talked to ol' Khayyam a thousand years ago – maybe that's _her_."

"Wow."

"And the way she sets herself up on those planets, almost like a mama bird broodin' an egg – maybe that's what she's doin', somehow, getting 'em ready for something, like I said before. Seems like a fittin' kinda thing for a Bird of Time to do."

"Wow."

"Sounds like you're getting sleepy, young feller. You've lost all your big words."

"Can I sleep out here with you, Mr. Hapgood?"

"So long as your folks don't mind."

"Be right back!"

Minutes later, Will was back with a sleeping bag.

"Now you listen, Willie, tonight you just look up at them stars, and love 'em and feel 'em. Don't worry about their names or magnitude or sequence. Just look up at 'em, and _listen_."

"Mr. Hapgood?"

"Willie?"

"Will you ask _her_ to talk to me?"

"I got a suspicion she already does."

Aboard the _Jupiter 2_, John and Maureen Robinson lay in bed together, holding hands.

"A giant plant almost killed our daughter today, Maureen. How can you even question sending them back?"

"John, I know this is a terrible thing to say, but right now on Earth, children are dying from all kinds of awful things – car crashes and airplane crashes, from hunger and maniacs with knives and guns and bombs, even from accidentally eating poisonous plants. I'm a botanist, John, do I need to tell you how many people die every year from eating the wrong kind of mushroom? There are killer plants on Earth too. They're just not as . . . spectacular. Sending them back isn't going to keep them safe, John. That's _our _job, John. We're their parents, not Jimmy Hapgood and not Alpha Control and not . . . not anyone else on Earth. Or anywhere. Sending them away would be like giving up on them."

"But just temporarily –"

"No, John. We're a family, and we're all in this together. Do you remember telling us that, last October, before we left?"

"Yes," he admitted.

"Sending them away isn't going to make them safer, not really. Yes, it's dangerous here and I'm afraid a lot, but only because it's so _different._ We're not afraid of crossing a street, but that's only because we do it – did it – all the time. If you ever really stopped to think about walking out in front of a dozen cars ready to take off like rockets when the light turns green –"

John laughed softly. "Believe me, I thought about that the first time I watched Judy cross a street all by herself going to school. And probably every time after that. Then the same all over again with Penny and Will."

Maureen now laughed too. "So we have man-eating plants instead of hot rods. I think I'd rather take my chances with the plants."

She turned and pulled her husband close. "Well?"

"I'm starting to think you're right. But let's sleep on it and decide in the morning. Now, none of your feminine wiles to try and influence me," he said with mock severity.

"How about just one feminine wile?" Maureen purred.

"Not fair . . ." murmured John Robinson into the darkness.

Jimmy Hapgood approached the _Jupiter 2_ with a worried and fearful look on his face. John and Maureen Robinson were sitting alone at the outdoor table.

Hapgood approached, removed his hat, and asked, "May I sit down and talk to you two for a bit?"

"Certainly," said John.

"Of course," concurred Maureen, pouring a cup of coffee for him.

"Sir . . . ma'am . . . back where I'm from, a man takes pride in speaking his mind and not beating around the bush when there's something he has to say. It's true that I laid hands on a few diamonds that I maybe oughtn't had, but I promise to you on the Book that I never told a lie or half-truth about that whole business to anyone."

John frowned. "Alright, Jimmy, you're an honest man. That's what you're telling me, and I think I'm a good enough judge of character to accept that. So what's wrong?"

Jimmy Hapgood held his face in his hands for a moment. "John . . . Maureen . . . it's truly breakin' my heart to have to tell you this, but I just don't think it would be right to take those kids back to Earth. I talked long and deep with 'em last night. They're smart kids, I'd guess they're both literally geniuses – I'm sure you know that. But listen to me.

"There's more to them than I can understand, more than I dare tell you two. I'm asking you to trust me, a stranger you hardly know, when I tell you that makin' those kids go back to Earth would be about the worst thing in the world –" he laughed at the word "– any world, or the Universe, that you could do to them." He sipped nervously at his coffee.

"They _belong_ out here, Professor Robinson, Mrs. Robinson. There's a – there's like a piece of Earth deep inside most folks, in you two and even me . . . and I swar it just ain't in them two! More than that, I can't tell you, won't tell you, 'cause you'd think I was even crazier than you do right now, I see it in your eyes, you're a little nervous.

"That's why I was making such a point of being an honest man at heart, and why it pains me to talk all in spooky riddles. But all I ask is you believe me – if those two go home now, there are going to be wonderful and incredible things that'll never happen to 'em. What they'll see an' do, and even better, what they'll _become_. Things that this Universe might never see at all, otherwise.

"Imagine reaching for a door, then turning around, and behind that door was the – the greatest Broadway show ever done, and you not only never see it, you never even know about it. Or you start to pick up an old book at a rummage sale, and you think the cover is too grimy – and inside that book was every secret of science and the human heart all laid out as simple and complete as any scientist or philosopher ever could have imagined. _And you never even knew it was almost in your hands._ That's what it'll be like if those two don't stay right here with you, where they belong. So don't you even try and make me do it, either, because I'll set fire to _Travelin' Man _first, and I don't want to do that because then I'd likely hold it against you and I purely loathe bearing a grudge."

John and Maureen looked at each other a long moment, clasping hands. Maureen choked back a sob, and John slapped his hands down against the table with finality.

Jimmy Hapgood flinched. "I'm awfully sorry to disappoint you two –"

John smiled. "I think you've misread us, Jimmy. We were having second thoughts, too. I think you've just helped us make the final call."

"I promise you something else sir, I want you to know that I think the world of those two, and if I believed in my heart it was the right thing to do, I'd set down right in the middle of Alpha Control Command in Houston and let the company and the cops come get me for diamond smuggling and grand theft and I'd spend the rest of my life in a Texas jail. I mean it, sir, jail would kill me, but if it meant doing right by those kids, I'd walk in smiling and cash out laughing."

Hapgood let out a huge sigh and sunk forward. "That's gotta be about the hardest thing I've ever had to say in my life. Thanks, folks."

"Thank _you,_ Jimmy," whispered Maureen, patting his hands.

Another evening approached.

"John, here's a coupla canisters of deutronium for you. I got plenty, and I owe you for the astrogation gear. Now I think I'd best get on over to _Travelin' Man_ and get ready to lift," said Hapgood. "You kids, you stay here with your folks. Where you belong. I'll be back over here to see you in the morning," addressing Will and Penny.

Dr. Smith was just coming up the elevator. "Do I hear correctly? The children are staying? Does that mean you might have room for one adult?"

Hapgood rolled his eyes. "I might, if you really want to, Doctor."

"If I want to, he says. What time?"

"Oh, I figure tomorrow, about five o'clock."

"Splendid! One last dinner at Mrs. Robinson's excellent table, and away we'll go, eh? Lovely. I'd better start packing my things." He vanished back down to the lower deck, and the others shared a secret chuckle.

At five o'clock the next morning, the Robinsons and Major West stood outside the _Jupiter 2._ Jimmy Hapgood was making his farewells.

"Thank you, kindly, John, for the hospitality, and I promise I'll do my best to get word back to Earth about you. I'm still pretty lost, and can't make any guarantees."

"That's alright, Jimmy. We're together, and that's what counts."

"Ma'am," he said, holding his hand out politely to Maureen.

"Oh, Jimmy!" She ignored his hand and pulled him into an embrace.

"Miss Judy –"

Judy took his hand and said, "Have a safe trip. Sorry I didn't see more of you."

He gave a solid handshake to Don then, and turned to the two younger children.

"Miss Penny . . ."

Penny threw her arms around him and sniffed sorrowfully. Looking up, she said, "You really are a wonderful storyteller."

Hapgood smiled, ruffled her hair, and put a kiss on the top of her head.

"Willie –"

The two shook hands, then they too put their arms around each other.

Will stretched up on tiptoe and whispered in Hapgood's ear. His voice was oddly mature. "I think I heard _her_, Jimmy. I really do."

"I thought you might, Will. Never forget how to listen," he whispered back. "Maybe someday when she's done with me, she'll come back for you too.

"Well. Time's a-wasting. Oh! Almost forgot. Something for you two to remember me by." He slipped a small package to Will with another few whispered words, and another to Penny.

Hapgood faced John Robinson again, took his hand. "There's just so dang much wonderful stuff to see out there, John. More than a body could see in a lifetime. If only a man could live forever, he'd really have it made. You ever see a hot comet? Ever even hear o' one? Most are just ice and rocks, but some, I don't know what they are, but they burn through space like vengeance, and all kinds of colors to 'em too. I think I spotted one on the radar, just before I set down here. First thing I'll do is try an' catch up with it, get some video and send it back here for you.

"And then . . ." He winked at Will. "Then I got a date to keep at a gas giant out at the edge. Looks like Jupiter with rings that are all just swirlin' colors.

"I'm awful sorry I couldn't do more for you all. I gotta go now."

Jimmy Hapgood turned and walked unhurriedly away, without looking back.

They heard him run through his pre-flight routine over the radio, then he counted down his liftoff. "Whoo-hoo! What a kick in the pants that always is! Hey, how 'bout once I find out where I am, I'll come back and jus' push that whole dang planet o' yours back to Earth!"

The thunder of his launch shook the ground even at the _Jupiter 2_'s site. A scant moment later, Dr. Zachary Smith came scrambling up the ladder from below, garbed in an old-fashioned nightshirt.

"Stop! Stop!" he cried woefully. Smith looked at his watch. "You treacherous traitors! You never said five in the _morning_!" He raced outside, looked up at the bright dot vanishing into the sky.

"Jimmy! Mr. Hapgood! Please!" As the dot winked out, he collapsed heavily to sit on the ground. "Left. He really left me behind. Oh," he grieved, clutching at his heart, "The pain . . ."

Inside, the little group listened to Jimmy Hapgood's last words to them. "I've found it, kids! I've found it! It's a hot comet, alright! Here, stand by for the video – oh, man, that picture just ain't gonna do her justice, she's all purple and silver and gold, and trailin' sparks like a Fourth of July firework and near bright as a star! Don't you dare ever lose this, folks, don't you dare!" There was a moment of hush.

Then his voice came back, taut, strained, and unfamiliar. "That's all from me, folks. Will. You know."

Will just nodded. Implausibly, Hapgood responded with a cryptic, "You will."

John Robinson looked curiously at his son and thought of the strange things Hapgood had said, then of his favorite line from Shakespeare: "There are more things in heaven and earth . . ."

The radio was abruptly silent.

Dawn had broken. Will and Penny stepped out the hatch to look up at the suddenly blue sky. Penny elbowed her brother softly in the ribs.

"You really believe all that, don't you? Well. What can I expect, _you're _still nothing but a child."

Will said nothing, but looked at her with a secret, knowing smile.

"Hmph, men!" Penny sniffed.

The two children jumped as their father put his hands on their shoulders. "Looks like it's going to be a beautiful day, doesn't it? This really isn't such a bad place after all, is it?"

Behind them, Dr. Smith uttered a groan of despair.

John Robinson stretched out his arms as if to embrace all of their little world. A ray of sunshine broke over the surrounding hills to cast its golden light on the scene. "Blue sky! Fresh air! It's a wonderful day to be alive, isn't it, kids?" He put his head back and laughed aloud.

Will turned and stared open-mouthed at his father, as if suddenly seeing him for the first time. Carefully, he noted the jet-black hair and the skin which always seemed so ruddy-tan, even his eyes sparkling with far-off vision.

"Dad?" whispered Will. "Did Grandmother or Grandfather ever tell you anything about having Cherokee ancestors?"

John cocked an amused glance at his son. "Where did that come from, son? Some of Jimmy's stories?"

Will shrugged his shoulders noncommittally.

"Funny you should ask that, though. As a matter of fact . . ."

Will and Penny sat together in her cabin to examine their gifts from Hapgood. To Will he had given a pocketknife with the admonition to be careful with it and always keep it sharp.

Penny's gift was wrapped in a piece of paper, which she now removed and saw that it was actually a note wrapped around a small cloth bag.

Dear Miss Penny,

It was disappointing to think that you maybe didn't believe some of the things I told you, but it truly broke my heart thinking you might grow up to be someone who has a hard time believing other people and not trusting them, and that it would be my fault. I am giving you a little present here which will prove a small part of what I told you. I hope you will be able to believe everything else now, even without proof, because it really was all true.

I suggest you put this away safely somewhere until you are grown up, then if you ever visit Earth again you can have this made into a necklace or earrings, or maybe even into a ring which some young man can put on your finger someday. Bless you Miss Penny, and all your family, and I truly wish you all the best.

J. Hapgood

Carefully, Penny tipped out the little bag into her hand, where she and Will gasped together at the sight of a diamond the size of a ripe black olive.


End file.
